Improvement in igniting hand-grenades



J. S. ADAMS.

D1 G. S u F H G n S Fig.2.

ESM

Witnesses:

ab@ gw /fn MQW@ with the water-proof cap removed.

Nirnn 1 raras JOHN S. ADAMS, OF- STAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ll. dated January 10, 1865.

To @ZZ whoml t may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JOHN S. Anans, of Taunton, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction and Ignition of the Fuses of Hand-Grenades or other Projecti-les; and I do hereby declare that the following lis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the fuse and grenade. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fuse. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same Fig. et is a perspective view of the grenade and fuse, with the ignit'ing-strap attached to the friction-wire and the wrist of the operator, showing the manner in which the grenade is to be held and the strap attached when the grenade is to be exploded when thrown.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This improvement consists in a certain arrangement and combination of the component parts of the fuse, to secure protection against accidentalignition or injury from the weather, and at the same time secure ease of' access to the friction-wire when the grenade is to be used.

The objects and advantages of this improvenient are as follows: First, its adaptation to use under a variety of circumstances and by a variety of means, as hereinafter shown; second, certainty of-ignition when thrown in the manner described, third, rapidity of operation; fourth, safety to the operator; fifth, protection from dangerof accidental ignition in transportation and handling and from injury from dampness.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a metallic fuse-plug of common form, having a circular conical hole through it longitudinally, for the reception of the time-fuse B, which is inserted from the top of the plug. There is also a recess formed in the metal of the plug, at the side of the fuse-chamber, for the reception of the friction-primer C, which is inserted in the position shown by the drawings. A friction-primer of different form may by substituted for the present arrangement, provided the friction-wire is secured in the same relative position in the plug. The primer is firmly secured by means of the metallic disk D, which, fitting into the recess E, is secured by setting or riveting the metal of the fuseplug down upon it in the manner shown. The primer may also be fastened by riveting the metal of the plug directly upon it, if desired. The vent-hole D is made in the disk, to permit the escape of the gases from the burning fuse. The notch DZ is formed in the edge of the disk, through which the friction-wire C passes to the top of th'e disk. This disk forms a firm support for the water-proof cap, and at the same time serves to retain and concentrate upon the head of the time-fuse the flame ofthe exploding-primer, thus rendering the ignition of the time-fuse almost an absolute certainty. After the fuse-primer and disk are secured, as described, the friction-wire is bent down upon the top of the disk, the loop of the wire eX- tending into the hook-slot F, so that it may be easily reached, and bent up by the springhook J when the grenade is to be used. The openingtape H is then laid over the frictionwire, extending through the hook -slot and down the side of the plug. The waterproof cap G, composed of paper dipped in shellac or some other suitable preparation, is then applied, whic'h completes the construction of the fuse. The metal surrounding the recess E secures the friction-wire from being disturbed by rough usage of the grenades in transportation or handling. The screw-thread should be coated with some suitable material before the fuse is screwed into the loaded grenade, so as to make the j oint between the fuse and grenade water- `iroof.' These grenades thus prepared. maybe ignited (after the water-proof cap is removed by means of the opening-tape) by quickly withdrawing the frictioirwire from the Vprimer by means of an igniting-strap, l, and

They may be thrown by hand and ignited by means of the igniting-strap I, attached to the friction-wire and the wrist of the operator in the mannerA shown in the drawings. This strap is made of leather or other suitable material, is about eighteen inches in length, and is provided with a spring-hook, J, by which it is attached to the friction-wire,vand with a wrist-strap and buckle, by which to attach it to the wrist of the operator. The grenade thus attached may be thrown in the same manner as it would be were it independent of the igniting-strap, with sufficient additional force to compensate for the loss of velocity occasioned by the withdrawal of the wire. As the grenade is thrown, the sudden tension upon the strap withdraws the friction-wire, ignites the primer and fuse, and in the given burningtime of the fuse communicates iire'to the powder in the grenade. These grenades may thus be exploded with great rapidity. By varying the burning-time of the fuses they may be thrown by the means described to a greater or less distance, as required. They are not liable to explode by being dropped upon the ground, unless attached to the strap, ready for use. In case they fail to ignite by the withdrawal of the wirewhen thrown, they cannot easily be ignited and thrown back by the enemy. y

I am aware that there is 'nov novelty in the employment of a friction-primer for the ignition of time-fuses of explosive shells when so arranged as to be ignited by the sudden shock of discharge when tired from a piece of ordnance.

I am also aware that hand-grenades have been ignited by friction-primers with long lanyards attached, and also that time-fuses lighted by hand have been used to ignite hand-grenades. Therefore I do not claim, broadly, the employment of a friction-primer to ignite timefuses, but simply a new application and arrangement of parts with reference to and in connection with my method of ignition.

Vhat I cla-im as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl The combination of the recess E, the metallic disk D, the hook-slot F, the water-proof cap G, and the opening-tape H, all arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN S. ADAMS. llitnesses:l

L. W. DEAN, C. S. BLACKINTON. 

